Book 3: Chapter 28 - The Makings of Greatness

Fiction always looks to the disabled and the different for villains.

“Hurt people hurt people,” they loudly proclaim.
And sometimes that’s true.

But in the real world, we don’t usually put evil people in padded cells.
We put them in corner offices and give them quarterly bonuses.
—Vernon Vale, Interview

“Make yourself comfortable,” John joked as they entered the room. Lyle was annoyed at the immediate provocation, but he couldn’t complain. Not in front of the subject they'd come to interview.

Caleb Shepard was already sitting on a large reclining chair, which was more than reasonable. For one, nearly every place to sit looked equally comfortable. Also, the police had commandeered the teachers’ lounge for this and many other interrogations. Shepard had probably sat in the same place he always did. 

Lyle and John hadn't exactly rushed to meet him, so it was silly to expect he'd remain standing the entire time. Especially considering why they'd chosen this room to meet him. The walls were blue with crystal, which kept it private. But it still felt warm. There were a few tables, an ancient microwave, and a long-abused coffee maker on the counter. It was a familiar and comfortable environment. Ideally, this would help Shepard lower his guard and open up more easily. 

At least, if John could refrain from antagonizing the man for sitting down. 

Lyle suppressed a groan and painted his face with an amiable smile. He made his way to the sofa, which bordered the same coffee table as the chair, and sat down. He dropped the closed folder in his hands on the table, then met Caleb's eyes. There was a nervous energy to them that piqued Lyle's curiosity.

“Thank you for coming in today. My name is Lyle Lupin, and I'm the lead investigator on the Cruel Ivy case,” he introduced.

“John Knight, the other lead investigator,” John cut in. Lyle was going to strangle the man. It was like he was trying to play “good cop, bad cop,” but targeting Lyle instead of the witness. And, at least for the time being, Caleb was a witness. Not a suspect. So the tired and well-known interrogation technique was stupid regardless.

“I’m familiar with both of you. Although I thought Mr. Lupin was leading the case, but I guess that doesn’t matter,” Caleb answered. Lyle didn’t have to smirk. John’s scowl did the work for him. “I have to say I’m uncomfortable with your request. I take my students’ privacy extremely seriously, and Miss Kiln’s records were redacted for a good reason.”

“I understand that, but—” Lyle started, only to be cut off by John.

“It’s not a request, and it’s not about what you’re comfortable with. Koral Kiln is suspected of multiple counts of murder, and we need as much information as we can to prove her guilt,” John insisted.

“Or clear her name,” Lyle clarified. 

“Cut the shit with the ‘good cop’ routine. We don’t need to play games,” John dismissed, waving Lyle off. He returned his attention to the uncomfortable therapist. “We have a court order for this file. I assume you’ve brought a copy with you?”

“Oh my God,” Lyle murmured, releasing an exasperated breath through his nose. John was getting too eager to make an arrest now that he had a name. It was going to undercut the entire investigation. This was why Lyle hadn’t joined the police force. Promotions were like poison to critical thinking and self-control.

“I... did,” Caleb confirmed. “But I’d like to provide context before I share it with you. It’s extremely important that you know, going into this file, that I consider it extremely unlikely Miss Kiln is involved with the recent murders.”

“Oh? Do you know something about the deaths that we don’t?” John asked. 

Lyle caught a flash of anxiety on Caleb’s face, but it was quickly washed away by something else. An expression Lyle was growing more familiar with, in fact. It was the weary look of a man answering the same ignorant question for the hundredth time. Still. That brief fear was... interesting, and worth noting. It wasn’t real evidence of anything, but if Koral had a partner in crime—or even someone pulling her strings—a Therapist was as likely as a Dream Eater. It was an idle thought, but one worth looking into when he had the opportunity. He pulled up his tablet and started scrolling through the files that had been forwarded to John. It was a bit rude, but he wanted to have them up while Caleb was there. Just in case he found something worth asking about.

“I know something about psychology that you don’t,” Caleb answered. “Which is one of many ethical reasons I didn’t intend to send you private student notes.” The anger in the man’s voice was evident, and Lyle understood. As much as they did need the files, whoever had sent them to the police had committed a crime. And Caleb was one of the victims. It just so happened that catching the killer was more important than the crime in question.

“Well, we have them now, and the suspect is one of the only students in your records with a redacted diagnosis,” John said. “Why is that?”

Caleb’s lips tightened, and he crossed his arms. “Because people are stupid. And every time they hear certain words, they immediately conjure ideas invented by TV and unqualified opinion columns. Which is not how mental health works,” he answered.

“Just share the file, or we’ll need to charge you with obstructing our investigation,” John insisted. And with that, Lyle decided to match John’s energy. Partially because he was tired of the man’s ambition bowling over what could’ve been a perfectly pleasant interview. But also because he hadn’t eliminated Caleb as a possible collaborator. Speaking to him for longer might’ve been helpful for feeling that out.

“No,” Lyle disagreed. “I want to hear the expert opinion on Koral first. Before we read the rest of her file. I’d like to understand what I’m reading before I build an opinion.”

“You’re wasting our time, Lupin,” John complained. Lyle responded with a sharp glare. John had put some important pieces together. But Lyle had different goals than his partner. John wanted to close the case and put it on his resume. Lyle wanted to stop the killer.

“Please,” Lyle said, still glaring at John but speaking to Caleb. “Tell us what context you think is important regarding Koral.”

Caleb sighed in relief. “Thank you, Mr. Lupin,” he replied, flashing an annoyed glance at John. He then took a deep breath and smoothed out his tie before speaking. “I assume you’ve read the unredacted portions of my notes on Miss Kiln?”

“We have. And somehow, we understood them without your help,” John mocked.

“Yes,” Lyle confirmed. “But we were unable to identify anything actionable from those portions.”

“I assumed as much. That’s precisely why I wanted to offer an explanation to you both before sharing her diagnosis,” Caleb confirmed. “Because even those sections do provide context, if you understand what you are looking at.”

“We’re not idiots, Mr. Shepard,” John complained.

“Nor are you Therapists,” Caleb retorted. “And you may not have the targeted education necessary to identify the significance of certain notes. For instance, did you notice what Miss Kiln’s most common recurring fantasy is? In dreams or daydreams? I know I made a note of them.”

“I am uninterested in her sexual preferences,” John dismissed.

Lyle groaned internally. Caleb hadn’t mentioned sex, nor had Koral’s notes. He was starting to wonder if John actually had read the notes, or if he just skimmed them. “She fantasizes about rescuing people in need, correct?” Lyle asked.

“Precisely, yes,” Caleb confirmed.

“So she has a god complex. That’s not exactly inconsistent with a serial killer, Mr. Shepard,” John pointed out.

Caleb and Lyle shared a brief moment of anger, but Caleb pushed through the interruption.

“Koral has a consistent pattern of getting lost in this idea of a hero. It’s why she enlisted in the lancers in the first place. Different scenarios where she finds someone wounded, or lost and abandoned. Situations where she is needed, and she has the power to make a difference. Now, the victims in these scenarios often lack a face or a name. It’s plain that who they are is not of particular concern to her. And you might say fantasies of heroism can be selfish, sure. They can be about praise, or worship, or admiration. And that is certainly a large part of it in Koral’s case. But it’s not the most significant aspect of them,” Caleb explained.

John opened his mouth to respond, but Lyle lifted a hand to stop him. “And what is most important?” Lyle asked.

“Trauma is often a component of Koral’s diagnosis,” Caleb said. “I know movies and books use it as shorthand for ‘evil’. But it is human. Koral is still opening up to me about her parents, and I don’t think we need to get into the details of that here. But she was badly abused up until she came to this school. For her entire childhood, she had no one but herself to rely on. There was no hero but herself in her real story, and that has defined her ever since. That is why she casts herself in that role so consistently now. The victims in these fantasies aren’t people who don’t matter. They are stand-ins for the powerless child she once was. The fantasy is about showing up with the ability to help herself sooner than she did. But make no mistake. Hero is the role she wants.

“And to an extent, it’s the role she fulfills, in whatever way she can. She runs a study group and helps struggling students pass their exams. She wants to open a free clinic when her Surgeon calling is more fully developed. She wants to help people. She can’t always connect to them as easily as others. She struggles to empathize with people. She gets jealous easily, and she has too much of her identity wrapped up in receiving praise. But she wants to help people.”

Lyle and John were quiet for a moment, and Lyle glanced down at his tablet to start running a search through Caleb’s records. He hadn’t enjoyed as much time with them as John, and the explanation had given him another idea. One he doubted John had considered.

Unfortunately, this offered his partner a chance to respond first. “Do you think that just because someone wants to be praised as a hero, they won’t hurt innocent people?” the detective asked. “Isn’t it possible that being denied that is what led her to act so violently?”

Lyle’s search finished, and his breath caught. He didn’t actually think John was wrong, per se. But he thought the man had missed the mark a bit. While the Cruel Ivy Killer had plenty of innocent victims, it was no mystery that many of her targets were terrible people. Or to hedge, they’d been accused of being awful. Lyle thought it was more likely that the initial deaths were intended as a heroic fantasy for Koral. And innocent people got in the way. At least based on what Caleb had said. And the results of Lyle’s search were...

“Of course not,” Caleb answered, interrupting Lyle’s train of thought. “But that context does matter. I know this girl. I meet with her every week. And she wants to improve. Which is one of the most important factors in therapy. A genuine desire to heal. She has that. She is aware of her flaws, and she is cognizant of the struggles of her disorder. She always thinks before she speaks. More than any of us. She considers the consequences of all of her actions. She intentionally reframes the things that bother her, keeping the influence of her mental health in mind. Koral Kiln is a good, careful person who does everything she can to confront her past, and to cope with the effect it had on her.”

“But she does have a dangerous disorder, correct?” John pushed.

“She has a personality disorder. But she is one of the least dangerous people I’ve ever met. One of the most careful not to hurt those around her. She is more aware of the effect of her words than anyone. And she uses that to protect people. Because of her disorder. What I am saying, and the reason I wanted to explain this first, is simple. There is no such thing as an ‘evil’ personality disorder. Every mental illness comes with challenges, yes. But you can’t take a scary word you saw on an old-world crime show and use it as foolproof evidence. It’s not a label that means a decent kid is intrinsically dangerous. And if you do so anyway? You are callous, arrogant, and frankly? Stupid,” Caleb corrected. 

“Sounds like this disorder is pretty heinous,” John replied with a smirk. “Just send the full file.”

Caleb wore a look of defeat on his face like a funeral veil, but he had no choice. So he pulled his tablet out of his briefcase, leaned against the coffee table, and tapped it against Lyle and John’s in turn.

Lyle could feel the smug celebration emanating off of John the moment the words came up, but he didn’t share them. He was starting to have another theory entirely, and one which better explained every detail of the case compared to one girl in Category Red.

Still, he stared at the unredacted file with a frown. 

Name: Koral Kiln
Origin: Sandia
Calling: Surgeon
Category: Red
Diagnosis: Narcissistic Personality Disorder

This would seal the deal for the chief. He was certain of it. It was still circumstantial evidence at absolute best. But Caleb had been right. Those three words would all but confirm Koral’s total guilt to everyone who had any real say. They’d find the evidence now, even if it didn’t exist.

Out of curiosity, Lyle pulled up Violet Asher’s file to see if she had a similarly redacted diagnosis.

Name: Violet Asher
Origin: Roseville
Calling: Storm Scout
Category: Orange
Diagnosis: None

That meant he wouldn’t be investigating Violet, either. Caleb Shepard didn’t get things wrong with a diagnosis. If a disorder was known, he’d be able to definitively identify it after the number of sessions they’d had. The truth was plain and simple. Koral was a narcissist, and Violet was not. He scanned the file to find some symptoms of the disorder listed for Violet. But not enough to diagnose her, apparently. Chase Cook’s testimony would be completely thrown out, now.

But there were those search results. 74 percent of the victims of the Cruel Ivy Killer were either former clients of Caleb Shepard or they were mentioned in a client’s notes. And a powerful therapist using vulnerable clients to hunt people he had a vendetta against? That seemed far more likely than the girl described in Koral’s file doing this on her own. 

“Exactly how far would Koral go?” Lyle asked. “To receive your praise?”